McDavid Crosby MacKinnon for 4 Nations Canada roster

The 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off will be held next February, with teams of NHL players from Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States competing in a round-robin tournament.

A total of seven games will be played during a nine-day period from Feb. 12-20, along with two practice days, Feb. 10-11, and will be held in two yet-to-be named North American cities, one in Canada and one in the United States.

Though the international tournament is more than a year away, NHL.com wanted to get a jump on what the rosters for each country could look like, using a panel of three staff writers and editors to compile a list of 23 players (20 skaters, three goalies) for each team.

Today, a look at the projected roster for Canada as picked by Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief for NHL.com; Derek Van Diest, NHL.com staff writer; and Nicolas Ducharme, LNH.com staff writer:

Forwards

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Zach Hyman, Edmonton Oilers
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks
Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers
Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

This is as talented a forward group Canada has put together. Led by NHL stars McDavid and MacKinnon, Canada boasts outstanding offensive talent, not seen since Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux played together in the 1987 Canada Cup. McDavid and MacKinnon are two of the most dynamic players in the League and give Canada an impressive one-two punch up the middle. Crosby has plenty of game left in his legs despite being 37 years old at the time of the tournament. Crosby and Stamkos represent the old guard, providing a veteran presence to the group approaching the prime of their respective careers. There will be plenty of talent on the wings as well with Marner, Hyman, Marchand and Point. Hyman has worked his way into the Team Canada conversation by becoming an effective offensive threat playing alongside McDavid in Edmonton taking his game to a new level. The same can be said for Reinhart with the Panthers. Scoring will not be an issue for Canada and Bedard will be a year older and likely even more impressive than he had been during his rookie season before sustaining a broken jaw. Size and grit should not be an issue either, and for the all the goals Canada is expected to score, they are going to need to defend as well and that’s where Stone, Thomas and Marchand come in as exceptional two-way forwards. -- Van Diest

Defensemen

Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Noah Dobson, New York Islanders
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers
Vince Dunn, Seattle Kraken
Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings

Having the best all-around defenseman on the planet right now in Makar is certainly a great start. He is not only a points machine, he’s also a minutes machine. In fact, Makar and Dobson are each averaging around 25 minutes per game this season, exactly what Canada will need to shut down some of the world’s best. Morrissey and Dunn might be two of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL, and Bouchard is having a breakout season. Toews and Doughty bring veteran experience to a group that will need it. It was hard to leave players like Colton Parayko, Alex Pietrangelo and Morgan Rielly off this team, and I’m sure the Team Canada GM is going to have some hard decisions to make. -- Price

Goalies

Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights
Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers
Connor Ingram, Arizona Coyotes

Canada isn’t the goalie powerhouse it used to be. Forget the names of Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo or Carey Price, who have backstopped the country’s net since 1998. In 2025, Canada’s goalie trio will be very inexperienced, but it can deliver. Hill proved it last spring when he led the Vegas Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup championship by going 11-4 in the playoffs. He is also doing great this year with a goal-against average of 1.94 and a save percentage of .936, which puts him first in the League in both categories among goalies who have played at least 15 games. Skinner and the Edmonton Oilers had a difficult start to the season, but since Kris Knoblauch took over coaching duties, he is 21-4-0 with a 2.06 GAA, a .925 save percentage and two shutouts. He is playing his second season as Edmonton’s No. 1 goalie, and he will be Canada’s most experienced goaltender. Finally, Ingram has shown a lot of progression this year and has been a big part of the Arizona Coyotes push for a playoff spot. His win total might be low (12-10-1), but he can shut the door. Not only does he have a save percentage of .918, sixth in the League among goalies who have played at least 20 games, but he is first for shutouts with five. He’s a late bloomer who flies under the radar, but he could rise to the occasion if either Hill or Skinner gets injured or does not deliver on such a big stage. -- Ducharme

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